Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-02-07
A broken rail-,
trightful Accident on the Ver-
mont Genital Road.
An Express Train Leaps from
a Bridge.
Fire Adds to the Horror
Of the Wreck.
The Worst Accident Ever Known
I'm New England.
Over Fifty Passengers Believed to
Have been Killed MANY Burned
to Death Before the Eyes
of Survivors.
The Worst Accident Ever Known
lin New England.
PitcOus Cries Awake the Echoes
OF the HtlIs-A Fathers Pa
thctic GOod-By TO His Son.
CONCORD, N. H., Feb. 3


The express train that left Boston at 7
O'Clock last night met with a terrible acci.
dent at Hartford, on the Central Vermont
rallr0sd. about 2 80 o'clock this morning.
The train started from this city OH time, but
was detsintd at Willie River Junction, so
that it was about hour and 80 minutes late
when it left there. The train consisted of a
locomotive. passenger, postal, two ordinary
and two sleeping cars. and was running at
usual rate Of speed. About 200 yards south
Of the end of the deck bridge, broken rail
was struck. The locomotive, baggage and
postal car broke away from the rest of the
train, and passed over the bridge in safety
The rest of the train was thrown from the
rail, and continued on the roadbed until it
came near the end of the bridge, where it
| ran over the abutment, all the cars falling
into White river, soms ffy feet below. The
gorge at this point is trighttul one, and.
when the cars went down, there was a terri
b y crash. As soon as possible the detached
part was stopped and run back to the scene
Of the disaster. When those on it arrived,
the screams of the injured and suffering were
piercing the air. Assistance Immediately
came from neighboring fara, houses. Soon
after help had arrived, it was noticed that
| fire had started in the first passenger coach.
and soon the train was ablsze. and this ad-
| ditionsl horror was added to the already
hightful catastrophe. Those present were
powerless to stop the fire, ard while doing
all within their power TO rescue the unfortu-
mates, the rescuers met another and expected
obstacle. The heat became so intense that
they were obliged to relnquish their efforts
to save the suffering, and were compelled to
retreat to a place of safety for themselves,
and became unwilling and horror stricken
witnesses of the awful holocaust.
In addition TO this, and to add to the ter
ors and sufierings of the passengers, the
weather was intensely cold, and the heroic
rescuers were hindered thereby in their work
No water could be obtained with which to
extinguish the flames. The ice was several
inches thick on the river, and there was no
appliances at hand to raise it..
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT Feb. 5.
The most disastrous and horrltying railroad
accident ever chronced in the history of the
New England States occurred this morning
at about = 20 o'clock upon the Central Yer
mont Railroad, at the town of Hartford,
about four or five miles distant from this
place, resulting in the loss, so far as can at
present be estimated, of something like 81
human lives, with the probability that that
number will be increased by fully 20 more,
as there still remains one car in the ice
which has not yet been overhauled. This
will be done tomorrow at break of day, and
it will not be definitely known until then, if
ever, just how many lives were sacrificed in
this terrible calamity.
In writing of this fearful catastrophe one
finds it difficult to bring words to his COM
ma.d that " i'll give anything like an dequate
idea of the horrors attending it. The extent
of the disaster fairly appals those who have
seen similar events before, and one feels
almost stunned at the contemplation of the
nckeping circumstances wi hich are included
in it. The thought that hundred persons
are suddenly dashed over a bridge upon an
ice-coyered river in the dead of night, one
half of whom meet death in its worst and
most horrfying forms, sends shudder over
the most hardened observer of horrors. 1t
" i'll be wears before the residents OF this sec
tiop of the Green Mountain State will forget
,he fearful accident which has occurred
among them, while the disaster will go down
upuu the record of events as one of the
pr.atest and saddest in the whole list. Those
who escaped death on this occasion may look
upon it as nothing less than miracle. for II
is wonder that single one survives to tell
the tale, and yet some did escape with scarce
Iy scratch, but the great majority bear
dar gerous wounds, from which they may
never recover Some few were saved from
the burning wreck only to die few hours
later Perhaps a iuil score, or even more, OF
those who were on board of the ill-fated train
NAV find an unknown grave in this quiet
spot. distant from friends, BY reason of their
horrible Disagreement by fire, which will
nreyent their identification. The facts of
the fearful disaster, so far as they can be at
present obtained, are substantially as fol-
lows:
The Montreal express which left Boston at
Up. M. last evening arrived at this place
about 1880 A. M. Here it connected with
the Connecticut River Railroad from Spring
ield and took sleeper and . coach from 1t.
At 1910 o'clock the Central Vermont tram